Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the current status of the Viking Lodge Hotel Reception and Integrated Agency centre; the plans with respect to its residents; and if he will ensure that in any transfer from Viking Lodge the new accommodation will cater for comparable numbers rather than a large centre which tends to involve more of a sense of institutionalisation and can be overcrowded with knock-on health consequences. [42102/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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All asylum seeker residents of the Viking Lodge direct provision accommodation in Francis Street, Dublin 8 transferred to the Hatch Hall accommodation centre, Hatch Street, Dublin 2 on 8 September, 2012.

The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department, which is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers under the Direct Provision system, informs me that the transfer went smoothly and the feedback following the move has been positive from all parties concerned. RIA is satisfied with the quality of management in Hatch Hall and does not accept that issues of overcrowding, of an increase in a sense of institutionalisation, or of any knock-on health consequences arise from the transfers to that centre.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number new contracts being entered into by the Reception and Integration Agency for the provision of services to asylum seekers since May 2010; the monetary value and length in years of the contracts entered into; and the number of bed spaces contracted for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42105/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Reception & Integration Agency (RIA) is a functional unit of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers while their applications for protection in the State are being processed.

At the end of this answer is a table showing centres currently under contract to RIA, their current capacities and the current contract start and end dates, including agreed future contract dates. All of these centres have had a contract with RIA in existence since before May, 2010 and have, in effect, been renewed since then. No new centres have been opened by RIA since 2009, with the exception of the Staircase centre in Dublin, opened in May, 2012, which was effectively a 'swop' with the adjacent Horse and Carriage centre, in respect of which RIA had a contract with the same contractor. In recent years, RIA has generally only offered contracts for a period of 12 months and, but for a small number of exceptions, the contracts for each of centres in the table below would have been renewed approximately twice since May 2010.

Relevant to this question is the fact that the number of persons requiring RIA accommodation has been on a downward trend since 2009. On 23 September 2009, there were 6,674 persons in RIA accommodation. On the same date in 2012 there were 4,941 persons, a decline of 1,733 or 26%. RIA continually adjusts its accommodation portfolio to match demand, either through reductions in capacity or straightforward closures. In relation to the latter, RIA closed 7 centres in 2009, 8 in 2010, 7 in 2011 and 3 so far in 2012. Given the continuing decline in numbers needing RIA accommodation, it is likely that more centres will close in 2013.

As I have stated in answers to previous Dáíl Questions, it is not possible to provide values for current contracts entered into by RIA. Although there are standard service obligations - food, accommodation, etc. - on each of the centres, the per diem rate paid in each case by RIA is based on an individually negotiated contract. The rates differ from one contract to another depending on the facilities available in the centres, the differing functions of some of the centres, the location of the centres, the length of the contracts and so on. Negotiations take place with a number of commercial entities on an ongoing basis and RIA endeavours to achieve the best value for money in respect of each contract. It is not in the interests of the taxpayer that details of current individual contracts are known to the public or to other parties who are, or may be in the future, engaged in negotiations with RIA. Therefore, details of current contract rates are not provided. The policy is that the updating of the table of contracts will take place only at the end of January each year in respect of all financial information up to the end of December two years previously, e.g. at the end of January, 2012 the records are updated to end of December 2009. This policy has been upheld by the Office of the Information Commissioner.

The Deputy may also wish to note that published on RIA's website – www.ria.gov.ie - are its Annual Reports for the years 2007 to 2011 inclusive. These reports include details of spending for those years, showing total payments for contracts in respect of State owned, commercial and self catering centres; for transport costs; for utility costs in State owned centres; and for miscellaneous payments. In addition, RIA publishes statistics on a monthly basis and the Deputy will also be able to track the changes in the contracted capacities through this monthly statistical information that has been published since 2004.

Finally, the Deputy should note that the RIA procurement process was subject to scrutiny in the Value For Money (VFM) review in respect of spending by RIA on asylum seeker accommodation which was published in May, 2010. A copy of this review is in the Oireachtas Library and is also viewable on the RIA website: www.ria.gov.ie. The Review acknowledges the unique challenges in this particular area of procurement, e.g. the unpredictability of demand, the requirement to disperse asylum seekers around the country, local opposition to the opening of new centres, children settled in schools and so on. Among the recommendations of the VFM report was the introduction of a mix of ‘contracts for capacity’ and ‘contracts for availability and occupancy’ as well as a 'more open' tendering system in respect of the commercially owned and operated centres in the RIA portfolio.

Preparatory work has begun on devising a more open tendering process for the commercially owned centres which could only have taken place following the recent completion of the tender competition for the management of RIA's seven State owned centres, which are identified in the table below. This will be a difficult exercise as the tender process will have to take account of "non-money" issues such as access to social, educational and health services as well as adherence to long standing Government policy on dispersal of asylum seekers throughout the country so that no one region is disproportionately burdened in relation to service provision, as well as a recognition that other State agencies may have already committed resources in a particular region or area.

RIA contracts as at 23 September 2012

(*Staircase centre was 'swopped' with adjacent Horse and Carriage centre effective from 14/5/2012)